Ankle supports or wraps and taping of the ankle are commonly used to prevent or reduce the severity of debilitating ankle sprains. Athletes in both contact and noncontact sports are particularly susceptible to this injury. Methods of wrapping include the use of adhesive tape strapping, which is discarded after use, or reusable ankle wraps employing elastic material such as spandex or the like. Both taping of the ankle and reusable supports are applied to virtually immobilize the contact between the bones and the ligaments of the ankle region in order to prevent injurious pulling, stretching or tearing of these ligaments. Adhesive tapes, however, can be expensive to use, both because they are discarded after a single application and due to the time required by a coach or trainer to properly tape or supervise the taping of the ankle of an athlete.
A solution to this problem has been the utilization of reusable ankle wraps or supports of the general type as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,962,768 and 5,676,641. Although these supports have been successfully used by athletes and active individuals, they should be properly applied to the user in order to maximize effectiveness. If reusable supports are not applied in the recommended manner, effectiveness is reduced as compared to taping the ankle. Accordingly, it is desirable in reusable ankle supports to configure the support so that it can be readily applied as recommended and emulates a professionally taped ankle.